Organizing Your Class Library

If you read Two Tips to Increase Your Class Library, you now have (or soon will have!) lots of books in your classroom library. But now you have to organize them.  If you're a new teacher, do it ONCE and do it RIGHT!  You need a manageable and easy system and I've got you covered.

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A post shared by First Grade Teacher (@firstgradebloomabilities) on Nov 13, 2019 at 7:50pm PST

Tomorrow I'm going to share how I manage book check-out in my classroom.

Two Tips to Build Your Class Library

I know several teachers who are about to begin their career in just a week!  Congrats to all recent grads!  This is a very exciting time for you!  New teachers often need BOOKS...and lots of them.  Am I right?  But before you spend your first paycheck at Barnes & Noble, check out my video.

I hope it helps!  Good luck!  You're going to rock it! 

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A post shared by First Grade Teacher (@firstgradebloomabilities) on Nov 3, 2019 at 8:55am PST

Two Place Value Games (FREE!)

Our Place Value Unit is off to a great start!  Lots of hands-on fun! It's a quick unit and a welcome change from our first Number Sense Unit.

We go heavy on counting by tens and adding on the ones in the beginning.  

Toss It is perfect introduction to start with (see previous post/video) and then we move on to building our own numbers and seeing the relationship between them.

Grab the game above once your kids have practiced counting by tens and ones.  I use read blocks in the classroom but send home the cutouts for homework.

Another game I love is by The Busy Bilingual Teacher.  It's FREE too so make sure you grab it now!

See both in action below.  Hope your kiddos are ready for some fun!

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Two games that are perfect for your Place Value Unit. Your students will want to play both over and over again. Promise! Check out link in my bio.

A post shared by First Grade Teacher (@firstgradebloomabilities) on Dec 21, 2019 at 5:20pm PST

Easy Parent Holiday Gift

After a Pinterest fail this week for our First Grade parent holiday gift (it was a calendar that looked adorable but didn't turn out quite the way we wanted), Pinterest once again inspired me:

I know it's last minute but this is SO EASY to do and it's free!  

I called kids up individually while we had Stamina Reading today.  

Forty minutes later...DONE!  I love it.  Kids love it.  Parents will love it, too!  

Want it?  Grab by clicking on pic to download.  Made all different grade levels, left off grade on one AND even added 2020 so you can already plan for NEXT year! 

HO! HO! HO!

Toss It! Place Value Game

Looking for an easy way to teach counting by tens and adding on ones? Expanding numbers? This is it! What an easy game to make and play!  Watch the video to see how easy it is and click pic to grab your recording sheet!

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A post shared by First Grade Teacher (@firstgradebloomabilities) on Dec 12, 2019 at 5:40pm PST

My Must Have Math Tools

My must haves are always about items that make my life easier and allow me to deliver impactful instruction.  I like to think of them as getting "a lot of bang for the buck."

Here they are...

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A post shared by First Grade Teacher (@firstgradebloomabilities) on Dec 7, 2019 at 5:46am PST

A Peek Inside My Classroom

Got an S.O.S. from a friend in Grad School needing a tour of my classroom.  STAT! 

I jumped into action!

Since she lives in California, a virtual tour was a must. If you want to take a peek, click on the video.

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A post shared by First Grade Teacher (@firstgradebloomabilities) on Dec 4, 2019 at 5:34pm PST

Fun Rekenrek Game

I love using Rekenreks in my classroom to reinforce number bonds/combinations. 

Knowing combinations of 10 (and ANY number!) helps with math fluency.  

One of the easiest ways (and most fun!) is to play What's My Way? with your kids.  (Bonus: Games are a fabo way to build classroom community!)

Grab a Rekenrek and play today!  Watch the video if you want to see how it's played. The video isn't too long and worth watching.  (IMHO!)

Grab a certificate to send home with kids.  Just another way to strengthen the home/school connection...

(Looking for a  FREE PLACE Value Game?) 

Here is another that is SO EASY to play and packs a punch! 

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A post shared by First Grade Teacher (@firstgradebloomabilities) on Dec 2, 2019 at 11:4

2am PST

Holiday Books QR Codes

I hope these come in handy for your class.  Feel free to grab them!  As of today, all still worked.  :)

I print on cardstock, punch a hole in corner and hang up for kids to access during Stamina/Reading or when they have some time.

For the record, I'm reading Night Tree and Silver Packages (kids love to reread them) but I have so many books I want to read before break, that I'm not sure the others will be read to the kids.

Let me know if you have any MUST READS this holiday season. Always looking for gems to add to my pile.

Happy reading!

Managing Classroom Jobs

Kids LOVE when they get a classroom job.  When I first started out, they loved IF they got a job...once during the year!

Yea.  I was THAT teacher who never changed jobs. Rarely happened! Here's how I manage my classroom jobs now and make 20 kids happy!  (Listen for the MEOW!)

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A post shared by First Grade Teacher (@firstgradebloomabilities) on Nov 18, 2019 at 3:45pm PST

If you are the opposite of me and can manage your display/board effortlessly, hats off to you.  Seriously!  I'm seriously impressed!  If you've struggled like me, check out the link! 

Freebie: Open-Ended Math Questions

Hello!  My math open-ended questions are popular and I have some freebies floating around but I wanted to give those of you looking for more of them an actual set.  There are 7 sheets (never free before) that you can use right now with your Grades 1-2 students.

Interested in learning why I LOVE them so much and use them daily in my classroom?  Then check out this older post here: The Value of Open-Ended Math Questions.

My last post introduced my Which One Doesn't Belong? Open-Ended Questions.  To see them in action with my class, click here to view videos.

If you use them with your class or have any questions, let me know in the comments.

Have a great day!  

Which One Doesn't Belong?

When I was younger, I was a terrible math student.  Unsure of myself.  Self-conscious.  I remember being in First Grade and feeling overwhelmed during our math period.  I always had a stomachache during math.  Always wanted to go to the nurse.

I certainly never saw myself as a mathematician. No one else ever saw me as one either. Back then, math was either right or wrong.  No middle ground.  No getting messy in your thoughts and certainly no risk-taking was involved. You knew it or you didn't.

I didn't.

I never was able to overcome my early hurdles so when I became a teacher, I promised myself that I would make math relevant.  Hands-on.  Fun.  Every child would view him/herself as a mathematician and would be able to use mathematical terms and justify their answers and be encouraged to get messy in the thought process.  I wanted to slow down math.  Dig deep and let the kids breathe and play around with numbers and concepts.  Explore.

I so wish we had open-ended questions when I was six years old.  They are designed for ALL levels of thinkers and they build confidence and encourage risk-taking.  That's why I love to create and use Open-Ended Questions in my own First Grade classroom now. That's why I just uploaded Which One Doesn't Belong?

They allow for deeper thinking and a variety of answers. For a nervous math student, I would have appreciated the wiggle room to share my thoughts and justify MY answers. See math through MY eyes.

The kids cheer when I use these in my classroom.  (You can hear some gasps in first video when this first flashes on screen.) Because students know that there are several answers, participation is high. Sky high. No one is asking to go to the nurse. Isn't that the way it should be?

I've used for Do-Nows, homework, Workstations, and I did one for a math warm-up for my observations.  Designed for Grades 1-2, there are plenty of slides to last throughout your number sense unit.


Grab your FREEBIE here to see for yourself! 

Click here if you are interested in checking the product out!

Free Turkey Poem

Here's a fun poem to use for November. It's perfect to use with November picture books like Turk and Runt by Lisa Wheeler, Turkey Trouble by Lee Harper, and 'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving by Dav Pilkey. I pop it in my kids' Poetry Binders to help build fluency, buddy read, and use it for other shared reading and Daily 5 activities. We usually sing it at our school-wide feast.
I send my binders home weekly. Parents love them almost as much as the kids! Enjoy! Happy November!

If you want more November Poems, click on picture!

Joined Instagram

Today.  Will I ever get the hang of it?  Seems complicated!

https://www.instagram.com/firstgradebloomabilities/

John's Journal: 3 Halloween Books

Guest Post: John is a K-5 Media Specialist, history buff, author, and my oh-so-sweet husband. He'll post book reviews/finds here every so often.

When the calendar turned from September to October, the focus for kids like me was centered on the festivities that would take place four weeks ahead – Halloween! Costumes, candy, and decorations: the countdown was on!

Next to Christmas, the array of Halloween books are plentiful. There are some classic go-to titles and of course, Halloween wouldn't be the same without an annual viewing of It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. With that in mind, why not visit an old ghoulish Halloween favorite and add two newer titles and the Halloween read-aloud season just might be better than getting a large size candy bar in the trick or treat bag!

Annie Was Warned by Jarrett Krosoczka – A terrific and fun read aloud. Annie is smart and brave and isn’t scared of anything – why? Because she was born on Halloween! She is told of a spooky old mansion across town and warned not to go there on Halloween by family members who “dare” her not to go (knowing that she certainly will). I won’t give the ending away, but it always gets a scream – then lots of laughs from younger students. The text is sparse, but effective, and the illustrations - rich contrasting colors (lots of purples, deep blues, and bright yellows and whites) and a fold-out page to conclude the story add to the fun.  A true Halloween book.  One of my "musts" each year.

Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds and illustrated by Peter Brown .  Although not an official Halloween book, it is one of my all-time favorite read alouds – a perfectly paced and wonderfully illustrated book details the plight of Jasper Rabbit who loved to eat the carrots from a local field so much – (for breakfast, lunch, dinner – and even a snack) that one day … the carrots started following him… - or is it in his imagination? This book is a great read aloud for all ages – and even adults who might truly appreciate Peter Brown’s artwork which is framed like an old TV screen and uses muted black and white tones along sharp traces of bright orange to reflect connections to noir 50’s sci-fi films and of course, the Twilight Zone.  Although a modern classic already, I'm still constantly surprised on how many kids and teachers still haven't read it!  Of course, the sequel, A Creepy Pair of Underwear, is just as fun and perfect for the holiday, too.

Who can resist a Creepy Underwear illustration?

Snack Attack by Terry Border: I’ve found calendar artist Terry Border’s books dealing with common childrens’ foods – Peanut Butter and Cupcake, Milk Goes to School,  very clever and fun to read. Students love the sculptures/artwork that do indeed look real enough to eat. My students ask for them constantly. When this new Halloween edition was released, I had to get a copy and am looking forward to making it a part of my Halloween lessons. I quickly found out that this one is very fun as well. With a nod to Creepy Carrots. we find that a “monster kid” loves to eat a great deal of after-school snacks – that is until the snacks decide to do something about it – well, it doesn’t go quite as expected. Students will really love both the play on words and the super-cool sculptures that are just spooky enough to be fun.  Not a "true"
Halloween book but one that fits in perfectly.

Have a SPOOKTACULAR DAY!